Florist Friday: Interview with Joanna Rhodes of Hayford & Rhodes

Today, I’m thrilled to feature an interview with Joanna Rhodes, Director of Events & Weddings at Hayford & Rhodes. Joanna runs the business with her sisters Amy and Laura.

What is the history behind Hayford & Rhodes and who are the people behind the business now?

William Hayford founded the company in 1924 and built an enviable reputation as one of London’s finest florists. The reins were handed to the Rhodes sisters in 2007 and ‘Hayford & Rhodes’ was born. Central to the team are twelve talented florists…experienced hands, young apprentices and technical artists – all creative masters with flowers. A team that works as one to produce the Hayford & Rhodes look. We have four wedding and event planners at your service to design and deliver spectacular flowers for your dream event. They are organised, creative, meticulous and crazy about flowers. All the qualities you need to plan and manage the perfect celebration.

Could you tell us what prompted you to become florists?

The Rhodes sisters have always been extremely creative and all studied Arts at university. In 2004, we made a pact to change our careers and perused our mutual love for floristry.

Could you tell us how your floristry careers have progressed?

Since launching Hayford & Rhodes, we’ve had a steep learning curve in how to run a business!!!! Actually, the day-to-day practicality of running the business takes up a lot of our time. With our creative team behind us, we’ve gained some incredible business over the years. Hayford & Rhodes has become one of the leading major florists in London, which is a great source of pride. And we genuinely believe that it’s down to our creative design and vision.

Where are you based and what kind of floristry services do you offer?

Hayford & Rhodes creative studio is based in SE1, just off Bermondsey Street. It’s great to be just a stone’s throw away from The Shard and London Bridge…a great location to the hub of London. We do anything floral and all areas of our business are based at our creative studio including weekly vase designs, daily bouquets and nationwide bouquets, weddings and events. It gets pretty busy and it’s a great atmosphere…lots of flowers and props to see too.

Where do you get inspiration for your floral designs?

We get a lot of our inspiration from fashion trends, seasonal trends and visiting New Covent Garden Flower Market. We do love a mood board for inspiration!

How would you describe your style?

The hallmark of quality, luxurious flowers since 1924. The Hayford & Rhodes style is uniquely inspired by its heritage…timeless design united with progressive florists to create modern classics. Always innovating to remain at the forefront of British floristry.

What are your plans for the remainder of 2014?

We literally take a deep breath for the whole summer period as this is one of our busiest times with events and weddings. Things normally quieten down in August before the big crazy period for Christmas. Events and weddings have been growing rapidly at Hayford & Rhodes, so we’re ensuring to maintain the business relationships we have. We have some huge new weekly vase contracts starting in September. So we’re looking forward to taking on this business too.

What are your favourite flowers?

We love different flowers at different times of year. I absolutely adore Coral Sunset peonies and scented English sweet peas. However, over the winter months, amaryllis and pussy willow are a big hit. We always get a bit too excited and over order on flowers. Thankfully, we have a buyer at Hayford & Rhodes, so we can all be kept in check!

Thank you so much to Joanna for all her helping in compiling today’s blog post. Do pop over to the Hayford & Rhodes website to see more of their stunning designs!

Social Media

To keep up-to-date with news from Hayford & Rhodes, here’s where you can find them on social media:

Meet Rona

A very warm welcome! My name is Rona Wheeldon and I’ve made it my mission to inspire and support the floristry industry. I’m passionate about this incredible sector and everyone involved, rooting for florists, flower growers and flower wholesalers.

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